Bankers are often a much-maligned group. But in a crisis, they’re among the first ones people turn to for assistance, whether it’s getting immediate cash at an ATM, retrieving important documents in a safe deposit box or beginning the long process of rebuilding.

North Bay financial institutions spent much of this week providing a range of banking services amid encroaching wildfires, with one bank even distributing smoke masks and bottled water to clients coming into its branches.

Among the challenges North Bay bankers faced: Opening and staffing branches. Some locations closed due to mandatory evacuations, power outages or concerns about interfering with first responders’ nearby staging areas.

“Some of our colleagues have lost homes, many are evacuated — yet some of these same team members have decided to go to work so they can help their neighbors access cash and take care of their financial needs,” said Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) spokesperson Ruben Pulido.

Keeping the ATMs spitting out cash is no small feat.

“We are closely monitoring cash levels for our branches and ATMs throughout the impacted areas,” Pulido said. “We are making sure that cash deliveries are being made as frequently as possible.”

Wells Fargo operates more than 70 branches in the greater North Bay, with 10 of them closed because they’re in evacuation zones.

Wells Fargo donated $150,000 to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army to help victims of California wildfires. The bank’s California ATMs allow customers through Oct. 23 to donate to Red Cross relief efforts.

Wells Fargo’s efforts were echoed by other bankers Wednesday afternoon.

“We were finally able to confirm Tuesday that all Bank of Marin and Bank of Napa staff are accounted for. Unfortunately, some have likely lost their homes and property,” said Jarrod Gerhardt, marketing director at Bank of Marin. Bank of Marin (NASDAQ: BMRC) said the wildfires will not affect its $51 million purchase of Bank of Napa (OTCQB: BNNP), still expected to close by year-end. “Together, we will be better able to help those affected by this disaster rebuild,” Gerhardt said.

Bank of Marin's Napa and Santa Rosa offices are closed to avoid interfering with the work of emergency responders. The Santa Rosa office was also affected by power outages. The bank hasn't lost any branches to the fires. "All of the other offices are functioning as normal. All of this could change, things are day to day right now,” Gerhardt said.

“There are more homes still in harm’s way. This is such a fluid event. We’ve got fingers crossed that the winds stay down,” Gerhardt said. “We’re in contact with many of our customers to make sure they’re OK and if there’s anything we can do to help.”

Bank of Marin said it’s responding to requests for cash donations from North Bay nonprofits, with plans to work with them more “strategically” on the region’s recovery efforts.

Some North Bay banks were waiving fees such as the charge for customers using another bank’s ATM in areas affected by wildfires. Mechanics Bank said it would reimburse its customers for that charge as well as waive fees for customers getting cashier checks or accessing their safe deposit boxes without their keys in hand.

Mechanics Bank CEO John DeCero told the San Francisco Business Times that the idea to distribute masks and bottled water to clients at affected branches came up in a morning call among senior executives being held every day this week to assess how the fires are affecting the bank’s operations. Mechanics Bank, which has offices in the North Bay and Orange County, is still assessing the fires’ impact on its loan portfolio.

“We have several hundred million in loans to wineries and supporting businesses,” DeCero said. “In some cases, our clients aren’t even aware of their losses yet.”

Mechanics Bank has established a special desk to help clients handle insurance claims, which often involve property backing bank loans.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) also said it is providing "personalized financial assistance" based on a customer's specific need. That help may include waived fees on accounts and credit cards as well as temporary payment forbearance plans on home loans.

Bank of America said it re-opened branches in Santa Rosa and east Petaluma on Thursday morning, with seven locations remaining closed across Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties.

Santa Rosa-based Redwood Credit Union, which sought to keep members updated on which branches may not be open due to loss of power or other issues, said it had lost no branches to the fires. As of Thursday afternoon, Redwood said most of its branches were open as well as its call center. The credit union is providing updated information on branch closures at its website.

“In the few branches that were without power, we had employees stationed outside to help members and our community with their needs,” said Robin McKenzie, a Redwood senior vice president.

“We’re working with members and employees who have lost their homes and cars and need immediate financial assistance,” McKenzie said, citing some of the help Redwood is providing members: raising credit card limits; deferring payments on credit cards and other loans; and providing insurance support including claims support.